


breathe in

by chevrefoil



Category: Knights Chronicle (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, ashley being himself aka a mess (tm), deimos is mentioned/there kinda??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:56:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15946016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chevrefoil/pseuds/chevrefoil
Summary: Mary nodded. From here, it did look rather loud for merely congratulating one person on joining the Knights. Her and Deimos’ had been very similar in presentation and atmosphere, as well. ”The nobles are rather fond of their celebrations. If not you joining the Dark Knights, I can assure you they would have found another reason to drink themselves silly.”He chuckled and sipped at his drink. “Deimos said that, too. Well, it was more like heimpliedit, and then beamed at me proudly when I voiced it.”ashley is the third person to join the dark knights.





	breathe in

**Author's Note:**

> it’s 1am i literally just wrote this in a few hours and i’m really biased towards ashley :D

It was far too easy to think nothing of him, at first. When she had first met him, the day he had first joined the Knights, he had tucked himself into a corner of the room, away from the concentration of nobles and knights. She had thought him shy, or at least someone that didn’t have much experience with the ways of the elite. He was not of noble blood nor from an esteemed family of mages, yet wielded magic with the expertise of one.

The word _prodigy_  had been whispered reverently amongst those in attendance, their eyes shining as they welcomed another mage into their ranks. There were others that made a show of it. They didn’t care about him. They were trying to get a read on him, figure out his motivations for joining the Dark Knights when most were content with the lower tiers. Nothing was more concerning to those people than the recognition of the abilities of a Delcartian mage.

In Delcart, magic meant opportunity. It was a stepping stone into wealth and comfort, a stepping stone into parties like these with powerful individuals a common person would dream of being able to just _see_.  

“You made it,” Mary greeted him, joining him at the back. She had grown tired of the shallow conversations that so many individuals wanted to engage her in. Part of her wanted to summon some of her subordinates just to wreak a little havoc and end the whole affair early. Unfortunately, she had promised Deimos that she wouldn’t. For now, she would content herself with conversing with Ashley for a bit before taking her leave. She plucked two flutes of some bubbly drink off a platter as a servant came floating by and held one out to him. “A dream come true?”

“So far, though I’m thinking it may just be because of the food and alcohol,” he said with a slight grin, taking her offered drink. He gestured at the fancily dressed crowd, the brightly lit ornaments, the ornate decorations filling the room. “They go all out like this all the time?”

Mary nodded. From here, it _did_ look rather loud for merely congratulating one person on joining the Knights. Her and Deimos’ had been very similar in presentation and atmosphere, as well. ”The nobles are rather fond of their celebrations. If not you joining the Dark Knights, I can assure you they would have found another reason to drink themselves silly.”

He chuckled and sipped at his drink. “Deimos said that, too. Well, it was more like he _implied_ it, and then beamed at me proudly when I voiced it.”

Typical. Mary looked around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of her fellow knight. “He’s just being sneaky. He may seem like he’s having fun but he doesn’t like these much. He just wouldn’t say that to your—or anyone’s—face,” she said, finally spotting him near the middle of the floor. It was always odd to see him dressed up when she was so used to seeing him on the battlefield in full armor. “He’s far too nice to.”

“What about you?”

His question caught her off-guard. She blinked at him, her smile faltering. “Sorry?”

“You said Deimos was far too nice to tell anyone to their face he wasn’t enjoying himself. Could you?” Ashley nodded slightly at her, his eyes suddenly far too sharp. “You don’t look like you’re having much fun, either. Unless I’m wrong?”

Mary cleared her throat, breaking her eyes away from  Ashley’s face. The slight discomfort that she had managed to set aside as the evening had progressed prickled at his words. It was true that she wasn’t enjoying herself, and she couldn’t bring herself to the more the night wore on. 

 _You don’t have to force yourself to have a good time_ , Deimos had said to her.  _Whenever you’re ready to leave, let me know—I’ll go with you._

Soon. She would leave soon. She was only still here because Ashley was the newest Knight to join them and she couldn’t be seen leaving a party to congratulate that. 

It wasn’t that she couldn’t say it; there were many times that she had voiced her disdain for the extravagant celebrations they expected her to attend (granted, that was when she had had too much to drink and Deimos was usually ushering her out by then), but she was a Dark Knight. She was part of the highest tier of knighthood one could hope to achieve, a symbol of Delcart much as the White Knights were a symbol of Heldrea.

“I’m just a bit tired,” is all she managed to say. It was a flimsy attempt at an excuse, she knew, and he most likely knew it, too. 

He didn’t press further on it. “I understand,” his tone a bit apologetic. They stood there in silence for a moment before he cleared his throat and began to smooth out whatever wrinkles in his suit he could see. “Wanna leave?”

”I will, after this.”

”Well, I meant _now_. We can pick up Deimos, too—he looks like he’s being smothered by those two old ladies over there.”

She turned to stare at him. He was smiling at her as if he had merely suggested they enjoy a walk through the gardens on a clear day. “...You’re joking, right? You wouldn’t leave the very party that you are the main guest of.”

“ _Well_...” Ashley drew out the word, tilting his head to the side as if thinking about it. After a moment, he straightened and gave her a toothy smile. “I don’t see why not.”

Mary gaped at him. ”You’re a _Knight_ now, Ashley! You can’t just do whatever you want!”

”Being occasionally disobedient is okay, Mary, and this is the perfect occasion to be disobedient.” 

Mary didn’t move to stop him as he maneuvered his way around her and through the crowd towards Deimos. She hadn’t known what to expect from him but this certainly wasn’t it. She chewed her bottom lip as she watched him finally catch up with Deimos and begin talking to him. She had no doubt in her mind Deimos would refuse him ane try to talk him out of it. Prodigy or not, Ashley was the kind of person the other nobles and mages would find it hard to come to like, and he wasn’t helping himself by deciding to leave the party specially curated for him. 

* * *

The night air was cool against her skin. She stared up at the sky, the moon a bright, thin crescent surrounded by a multitude of stars. At least, it wasn’t so oppressive as it had been inside. Now, all they had to do was wait for Ashley to secure some “real drinks” and some cards for a “casual, low-stakes” game of poker.

“He’s very convincing,” Deimos said, breaking the silence. “Scarily so.”

Mary could only nod in agreement. 


End file.
